The Selma Times-Journal

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., will speak in Selma on Monday.

The confirmation came from McCain’s campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va., on Thursday.

Spokeswoman Crystal Benton said the campaign has not released details of the Republican presidential candidate’s schedule.

She confirmed he is scheduled to fly into Selma on Sunday, spend the night here and leave Monday to tour Gee&8217;s Bend and Thomasville before going to Birmingham.

It is uncertain what brings McCain to Selma, which is a traditional Democratic Party stronghold.

Bill Ezell, manager of The Saint James Hotel, confirmed McCain will spend the night there.

“We have been preparing for about three weeks,” Ezell said, adding that the staff is ready to handle the influx of people who accompany McCain and the national press corps that cover him.

Ezell said McCain will speak at 9 a.m., Monday, from outside the Bridgetender’s House next to the hotel.

McCain’s public calender on his Web site at www.johnmccain.com does not list the Selma stopover.

But the calender contains two fundraising events in Birmingham on Monday.

The first is a finance reception at 6 p.m. at the Sheraton Birmingham in the Birmingham Ballroom. Tickets to a private reception are $2,300 per person, and tickets to a general reception are $1,000 per person.

An hour later, the candidate is expected to attend a Birmingham Young Professionals Finance Event at Rosewood Hall at SoHo Square. Tickets for this event are $100.

Earlier this year, McCain stumped in Alabama, but did not come to Selma.

Last year, Democrats Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Clinton of New York came to the annual Jubilee, celebrating the Selma-to-Montgomery march. Both had announced they were presidential candidates.